Part of a roof collapsed overnight at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church in downtown Grand Rapids after fire crews spent hours trying to put the flames out.
A spokesperson for the Grand Rapids Fire Department told News 8 that the fire started around 11 p.m. Wednesday night on Oak Street and Sheldon Boulevard. On social media, LaGrave Avenue CRC said the fire was happening at the former Seventh Day Adventist building and there was no risk to the main LaGrave building.
GRFD said there are multiple add-ons to the church which made it difficult to put the flames out.
Firefighters worked to clean up all the mess as fire investigators look into what sparked that fire. The scent of smoke from the fire could be detected around the city in the early morning hours.
WATCH:
Crews have put out the flames at a church in downtown Grand Rapids. However what happens next is uncertain, the church had big plans for the space: https://t.co/tNyTPugvfPpic.twitter.com/cmoHyJMdOY
Colombia Says “Colombians First” as New President Launches Immigration Crackdown
August 27, 2026
A Trump-style immigration crackdown is underway in Colombia — and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants could be caught in the middle.
Colombia’s new conservative president, Abelardo de la Espriella, has ordered immigration authorities and police to begin coordinated operations targeting foreigners who are in the country without regular immigration status, marking one of the sharpest shifts in Colombia’s migration policy in more than a decade.
During a security meeting in Barranquilla, de la Espriella instructed authorities to begin operations against immigrants, prioritizing those involved in criminal activity and then those whose immigration status has not been regularized. He said deportations should begin as soon as possible.
The president has also declared that criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, extortion, illegal mining and smuggling will be treated as terrorists.
Colombia is preparing a crackdown on irregular migration, with President Abelardo de la Espriella ordering operations to identify and deport foreigners without legal status.
Those involved in crimes will be targeted first, followed by people who have not regularised their… pic.twitter.com/IRxbMErhRg
For Americans, the Colombian government’s approach will sound familiar.
De la Espriella has adopted a distinctly “Colombians First” message, echoing the nationalist “America First” language associated with President Donald Trump. He has also sought closer security ties with Washington, including direct discussions with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Hundreds of Thousands of Venezuelans Could Be Affected
The number at the center of the controversy is enormous.
Colombia is home to approximately 2.8 million Venezuelans, making it the largest host country for Venezuelan immigrants. Roughly 848,000 are estimated to be illegally in Colombia, including approximately 193,000 children and teenagers, according to figures cited by international reporting.
Other reports have cited a figure of more than 500,000 Venezuelans without status
De la Espriella has explicitly ordered authorities to locate immigrants who have not regularized their status and begin the process of removing them.
This is a major change for Colombia.
For years, successive Colombian governments took a comparatively welcoming approach toward Venezuelans fleeing the economic and political collapse of Nicolás Maduro’s Venezuela.
In 2021, Colombia established a temporary protection program that allowed eligible Venezuelans to obtain legal status and work authorization.
Approximately 2.3 million Venezuelans eventually received temporary residence permits under that program.
De la Espriella’s administration has now signaled a different priority: enforcement first.
Enforcement and Security
A sovereign nation has the right to decide who enters its territory, who may remain and under what conditions.
De la Espriella has made immigration enforcement part of a much larger campaign against organized crime. His administration is targeting drug traffickers, extortion networks, smugglers, illegal miners and armed criminal groups while promising stronger support for Colombian security forces.
The president’s position is essentially that Colombia cannot effectively fight organized crime while ignoring immigration violations or allowing foreign criminals to operate inside the country.
JUST IN: Colombia launches a “Colombia First” immigration crackdown, with police ordered to begin finding and deporting undocumented migrants.
Venezuelans are expected to bear the brunt of the policy simply because they represent roughly 90% of Colombia’s immigrant population.
Many arrived after fleeing political repression, economic collapse and insecurity in Venezuela.
Colombian opposition politicians have condemned the policy, arguing that it could stigmatize Venezuelans and undermine the country’s previous humanitarian approach.
Critics also point out that there are also practical questions that might make enforcement difficult. Colombia’s immigration agency may not have enough personnel to conduct immigration operations on the scale envisioned by the president.
Authorities must identify people subject to removal, conduct the necessary administrative procedures and arrange deportations. Colombia also has to deal with the practical realities of returning Venezuelan nationals across a complicated border.
And with hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans potentially affected, the consequences could extend far beyond Colombia’s borders.
#Colombia | Rodrigo Lara, ministro del Interior, explicó los alcances que tendrán los operativos contra población migrante en situación irregular. Esto dijo
This is no longer just a Colombian immigration story. It is another sign that the political center of gravity on immigration is shifting across the Americas.
Missing Missouri Deputy AG Found Alive After 6 Days
August 27, 2026
Shaun Mackelprang/ Image via Sublette County Sheriff’s Office
Shaun Mackelprang, a Missouri deputy attorney general, disappeared during a hike in Wyoming after setting out Thursday from the Green River Lakes area with plans to climb Gannett Peak.
On Wednesday, Mackelprang was found alive near Scott Lake in Wyoming’s Wind River Range.
Rescuers reached Mackelprang and prepared him to be flown out of the backcountry by helicopter around 9:45 a.m.
According to Cowboy State Daily, he was dehydrated and disoriented when found, and searchers started an IV and were preparing to fly him by helicopter to a local medical facility.
His brother Romel Mackelprang told Cowboy State Daily, “We know he summited on Friday because he signed the book.”
That entry in the register atop Gannett Peak was an important piece of the search for Mackelprang, helping rescuers determine that he had successfully reached Wyoming’s 13,804-foot summit before something went wrong on the return trip.
“I think what happened is he … clearly got disoriented coming back down,” Romel said, adding there had been bad weather in the mountains.
Romel stressed the family still doesn’t know exactly what happened.
The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office shared on Facebook, “The Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and Tip Top Search and Rescue are pleased to announce that missing hiker Shaun Mackelprang of Missouri has been located alive in the Wind River Range.”
“Mackelprang was located this morning in the vicinity of Scott Lake following an extensive search effort utilizing ground search teams, the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Drone Team, and Tip Top Search and Rescue’s helicopter. Search and rescue personnel located Mackelprang and safely prepared him for helicopter extraction from the backcountry at approximately 0945 this morning.”
“Mackelprang began his trek from the Green River Lakes Trailhead on August 20 with a planned destination of Gannett Peak. Search operations were initiated after he was reported missing and his vehicle was located at the trailhead.”
“This successful outcome is the result of the tremendous effort and coordination of Tip Top Search and Rescue volunteers, Sublette County Sheriff’s Office personnel and the SCSO Drone Team, along with the support of everyone who provided information or assistance throughout the search.”
“We also sincerely thank the public and backcountry users who shared information, reviewed photographs and GPS data, shared the missing-person information, and helped get the word out.”
Missouri Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway shared on X, “We are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located.”
“Our office is beyond grateful for everyone’s prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue’s volunteers and helicopter crew, and Wyoming State leaders.”
We are thrilled to hear that Deputy Attorney General Shaun Mackelprang has been located. Our office is beyond grateful for everyone’s prayers and the steadfast work of the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office and drone team, Tip Top Search and Rescue’s volunteers and helicopter crew,… pic.twitter.com/o5ZKtOA56c
— Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway (@AGCHanaway) August 26, 2026
WNBA Star Calls Enes Kanter Freedom a ‘Stupid Piece of Sh-t’ After League Bans Him from Draft
August 27, 2026
Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink is attacking former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom, labeling him “a stupid piece of s—t” and dismissing his challenge to WNBA eligibility rules as manufactured clickbait targeting a “vulnerable community.”
Speaking after practice to reporter Jarrod Castillo of The Mirror, Brink said she views transgender issues in the league as a “non-issue” and accused Freedom of trying to stay relevant by coming after the trans community.
“For me personally, when it comes to the trans issues I believe you’re talking about, I think it’s a non-issue and it’s people trying to just come for the trans community, and I just don’t stand for that,” Brink said. “I don’t know what the f— his name is, Enes Kanter, like he’s a stupid piece of s—t.”
“I think people are tuned in [to the WNBA] for the right reasons,” Brink added. “It’s great that we can all talk about things that are important and hard, and you can have your opinions on that, but I think taking something that’s like a non-issue right now and trying to use it for clickbait, for views, for likes, and then targeting a vulnerable community is just really low.”
Brink has previously spoken in support of teammates with they/them pronouns.
“Some of my teammates go by they/them pronouns. I want to bring more acceptance to that and not just have people support us because of the way that we look,” Brink told Uproxx in 2024.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the WNBA recently declared both Freedom and fellow former NBA player Royce White ineligible for the draft after they announced they identify as women and formally entered the 2027 draft process.
League insiders called the declarations publicity stunts designed to mock the organization.
Freedom was also escorted out of a Chicago Sky game on Sunday after a heated verbal exchange with guard Natasha Cloud while wearing a shirt defining “woman” as an adult human female.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states that only players who are women are eligible, though it contains no further definition of sex or gender identity.
While the WNBA has avoided issuing a public policy on transgender eligibility, its rejection of Kanter Freedom and White’s declarations effectively draws a line against adult men entering the women’s league under self-identification.
Former Border Commander Greg Bovino Claims Trump Officials Want Him DEAD After Security Detail Was Yanked — White House Calls Allegation “Absurd” and Defends Tom Homan
August 27, 2026
Former Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino speaks with Tucker Carlson during an explosive interview about his removal and the abrupt withdrawal of his security detail. (Credit: The Tucker Carlson Show)
Former Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino has leveled a serious accusation against senior Trump administration officials, claiming Border Czar Tom Homan and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott want him dead after forcing him out and abruptly removing his security protection.
Bovino made the explosive allegations during an interview with Tucker Carlson, describing what he believes was a coordinated effort by powerful “gate guards” surrounding President Trump to silence him.
“The minute I left, the security detail gets pulled,” Bovino told Carlson.
Bovino said he was facing an extraordinary number of death threats when his protection was terminated. According to the former commander, threats were also being directed at members of his family, and the situation became so serious that the FBI allegedly had to intercept and screen his mail.
Carlson asked Bovino directly whether he believed administration officials wanted him killed.
“Do I think they want me dead at this point? Yes,” Bovino told Carlson. “I’m in a running battle every time I go out. I mean, every time. … You bet, do I think they want me killed? Absolutely.”
Carlson pressed him: “Who? The administration?”
“Yeah, absolutely,” Bovino said. “Or, or more of the gate guards. I don’t think Trump would. I think if Trump knew what they had done and what they would do to Border Patrol agents or ICE officers or anyone that disagrees with them, I think he would have an absolute panic attack or a heart attack over something like that.”
Carlson went further: “But you think Homan wants you gone — dead?”
Bovino did not blink.
“I think Rodney Scott, he’s the one that took my security detail away with Homan there. Yeah, absolutely. You bet.”
Carlson then asked Bovino whether he believed Homan wanted him dead.
Those are extraordinary allegations from a 30-year Border Patrol veteran who became one of the most recognizable faces of President Trump’s promised mass-deportation operation.
Bovino also accused Homan’s people of attempting to strip him of government-provided legal representation for actions he took while performing his official duties.
He claimed another retired Border Patrol chief was warned that legal support would be withdrawn if he did not stop appearing on Carlson’s program and publicly criticizing the administration’s immigration record.
When Carlson asked whether Homan personally delivered the threat, Bovino clarified that he could not make that claim.
“His people,” Bovino said. “Yeah, I can’t say he did. His people, yes.”
Following the interview, Bovino posted a job against the Trump administration, stating, “I sat down with Tucker and told him what they didn’t want said out loud. I was removed by status quo bureaucrats for going hard. The war should be fought on American soil. You are being gaslighted. They want you to think mass deportations are happening. They’re not. It’s theater.”
White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Lauren Bis issued a blistering response Thursday, standing four-square behind the border czar.
“This is absurd. Tom Homan is an American patriot and career law enforcement officer with decades of experience effectively protecting American communities and deporting illegal aliens,” Bis told investigative reporter Brianna Morello.
WATCH:
Pushed out of Border Patrol and stripped of his security detail, former Commander-at-Large Greg Bovino claimed Tom Homan wants him killed. pic.twitter.com/k3Ttw4UMOj
Trump’s $100k Visa Application Fee Plan Is Back and This Time Dems Will Have a Harder Time Stopping It
August 27, 2026
The Trump administration has proposed a $103,265 fee for most new H-1B visa applications that replaces a prior $100,000 fee — imposed by presidential proclamation — that was shut down by federal judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama appointee.
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security filed a notice of proposed rulemaking announcing its plan to add a $103,265 fee to new H-1B visa filings, which must be paid upfront before the government decides whether to approve a petition.
“The proposed fee would be paid at the time of filing and would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments,” DHS said in a statement.
The public will have a 30-day period to submit comments before the proposal can take effect.
The new proposed fee is more likely to go through than the prior $100,000 fee because it’s a formal, proposed agency regulation — not a presidential proclamation.
The proposal also frames the fee as a cost-recovery measure for the broader legal immigration system, and avoids the “tax on entry” framing that Judge Sorokin had used to reject it.
The fee is intended to recover a portion of the federal government’s costs for administering the lawful immigration system, including activities conducted by DHS, ICE, the Justice Department, the State Department, and the Department of Labor.
President Donald Trump has issued executive actions aimed at overhauling the H-1B program, which is used heavily by the tech industry.
Microsoft’s Indian CEO just fired 3,200 American workers while filing for 5,000 new H-1B visas. This is exactly why any company that does mass layoffs should be banned from hiring H-1Bs to replace them.
The proposed new fee would not apply to cap-exempt H-1B petitions, such as those from some nonprofit research organizations, governmental research organizations, or educational institutions.
The tech sector typically accounts for almost 50 percent of all approved H-1B petitions.
As a reminder, the CEOs of Google, Microsoft, and IBM came to the United States via H-1B visas.
Now these foreign-born individuals are in charge of the biggest tech companies in the world.
For reference, the Department of Labor processed 6.9 million labor filings for H-1B visa holders since 2015. More than 70 percent of those applications came from India.
Mahvash Siddiqui, who worked at the U.S. consulate in Chennai, India, from 2005 to 2007, said scam rings in India have hijacked the H-1B program to steal American jobs.
“I would say 80 to 90 percent of the people that I encountered in each of the visa categories … were basically using the non-immigrant visa pipeline to essentially come and work in the United States and never go back home and essentially displace American workers,” Siddiqui said in December 2025, per Newsweek.
CEO of Alphabet Google
CEO of Microsoft
CEO of YouTube
CEO of Adobe
CEO of Procter & Gamble (P&G)
CEO of T-Mobile US
CEO of World Bank Group
CEO of IBM
CEO of Infosys
CEO of NetApp
CEO of Palo Alto Networks
CEO of Arista Networks
CEO of…
There has been escalating backlash against the scam-riddled H-1B program, which is being abused to displace American workers and to sneak in hordes of foreigners by bypassing the legal immigration process.
THERE IS NO LIMIT ON HOW MANY FAMILY MEMBERS AN H-1B WORKER CAN BRING
Example: A wife and 7 kids means 9 people entering on one worker’s approval. The H-4 dependent visa has no annual cap.
FY2025: 214,596 H-1B visas issued.
Another 146,158 H-4 dependent visas alongside them.… pic.twitter.com/1KPMNLpBHA
Siddiqui said she saw widespread use of forged documents — including university degrees and marriage certificates.
Some Indian districts are hubs where sham visa consultancy shops sold counterfeit credentials and coached applicants on how to pass the visa issuance process.
The irony is that we’ve been repeatedly told by the establishment media that the U.S. needs to mass-import foreigners because there’s a shortage of highly skilled workers in America.
“H-1B has been marketed to Americans as a tightly enforced, rigorously vetted, merit-based system that admits only the world’s best and brightest for highly skilled jobs that few Americans can do,” Rep. Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia, wrote in a Fox News commentary.
“In reality, it is a loosely monitored system that allows cheap and often entry-level workers to occupy jobs that Americans would gladly fill,” he underscored.
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